If You're Going Through Hell
by Dovahsebrom
Summary: A young vampire woman from Skyrim is cast on to Earth, and is rescued by a veteran soldier. Trying to figure out how to live an Earthen lifestyle and to get home only gets harder when the worst thing possible to humanity and Earth happens. Will eventually contain much violence, so I'm rating it M to be safe. Is not currently taking place in Skyrim, but eventually will.
1. Chapter 1

**Why hello there! Thank you for dropping in today! Please, read, enjoy, and review!**

**-Worn**

**Note- the Serana featured here is ****NOT**** the Serana in the game. I just used the name because I like it and it sounds more normal than some of the names on the name generator I normally use.**

**Disclaimer- Skyrim is property of Bethesda Studios, Fire Warms the Northern Lands is property of Rensselaer on the Paradox Interactive forums (I suggest you read that AAR, it's absolutely fantastic). All OC stuff is mine.**

**000000000000000000**

Johnny looked from the TV, bored after only five minutes of sitting down. He wanted something to do. He looked over at his grandmother, who was lying on the couch, reading a book. _Maybe she'll tell me a story,_ he thought. He was eleven, but his grandma always had good stories, and he never grew tired of them. He walked over to her, careful because she sometimes had a quick temper.

"Hey Grandma, do you think you could tell me a story?" he asked her. She looked at him, and smiled.

"Find your sister and your cousin, they'll want to hear this one," she instructed. Five minutes later, he had finally gotten his sister Lauren and his cousin Kristian to come inside. Their grandma looked up as they walked in.

"Ah, good," she said. She placed a bookmark in her book, closed it, and set it on the table. The kids sat on the floor.

"Get comfortable, because this will take a while," she warned. And she began her tale.

**000000000000000**

She woke with a start. She had no idea of where she was. Her last memory was of closing her eyes, and trying to sleep. She looked around. She was in a building of some sort. Windows were spaced every six feet or so, and light was shining in. She instinctively cowered in fear of the light (vampirism got to you after a while), but relaxed slightly when she noticed that she wasn't burning to ashes. _This is strange,_ she thought. She was seated on some sort of cushioned bench. Several strange boxes were at the other end of the room, and a hallway went off to her left. Pictures, plaques, and medals decorated the walls. Her dagger was on a table next to her. Her thoughts were interrupted by a massive thunderclap from outside, and a flash of light appeared through a window. She got up, stretching, and walked over to the window. Outside, an evening sun turned the sky orange, pink, and red, with a few clouds here and there. Mountains rose up in the distance, covered in forest. The building she was in overlooked a small farm. She recognized horses and cattle, and a dog or two sleeping. Overall, it was very scenic. A few other buildings dotted the area, with strange contraptions in and around them. She saw wheels on some of them, but they were metal, with a thick black ring around them. The closest thing she saw was a man seated at a table, holding a strange object. He was wearing a strange hat with a curved brim, and some sort of symbol on the front. Dark hair, nearly black, with some grey streaks poked out from under it. He had some sort of covering over his eyes, so she couldn't tell what color they were. He had a light dusting of stubble on his chin. He was wearing some sort of knee length pants made out of a strange tan material. He was wearing a plain white shirt. His feet were encased in boots made out of what looked like leather. A piece of what looked like string came out of his ears and wrapped around the back of his neck, and something similar came off the eye covering. One eye was peering at a metal tube of some sort that was on top of the mysterious object, his cheek resting on it. One hand held it up farther down the thing, and the other was resting in a metal loop that had a small lever. She was reminded of a crossbow, but the thing was much longer, and was all metal. He pulled the lever, and another thunderclap split the air. A small amount of flame and smoke exited a small opening of some sort on the end of the thing, which she now thought was a weapon. He took something out of his ears, and set them on the table. She backed up, thinking he was going to point the weapon at her. He saw the movement, and turned his head toward her. He smiled and mouthed, "I'll be inside in a moment" to her. He clipped several things to loops on his pants, and picked up the weapon. He flicked something on it, and slung it on his back with the use of a sling. He walked up to the building she was in, and disappeared from sight. A door opened around ten feet from her, and the man walked in. He closed the door with one hand, and removed his hat and the eye covering. He stared down (he was roughly 6 feet and 4 inches tall, compared to her 5-foot-11) at her with the strangest eyes; they were a steel gray, but at the same time, they were blue, and they seemed to have yellow slivers. As much she wanted to tear her eyes from his gaze, she couldn't. There was something in those orbs that stopped her.

"Well, I see you're awake," he finally said. He walked past her, and set his weapon in hooks mounted on the wall. She nodded.

"Where am I?" she rasped; she wanted something to drink.

"You, my friend, are in the Appalachian mountains," he said. He walked behind a counter, and reached into a large silver box. Light and cool air came out of it. He pulled out a green bottle with a yellow label on it. It read 'Ale 81'.

"I'm guessing you're thirsty?" he asked without turning around. She gave a nod; her throat hurt too much to talk.

"What would you like?" he asked her, this time turning around. She walked to the counter, and tapped the bottle he had pulled out. He reached in to the box once more, and pulled out another bottle. He closed the door to the box, and pulled something off of it. He slipped it on a metal covering attached to the top of the bottle, and pulled up. The covering popped off. He repeated the process with his. He handed her a bottle, and nodded. He took a small drink, and set the bottle on the counter. She did the same, except she drank the whole bottle down. The drink tasted distinctly of ginger. She set the empty bottle on the counter, her thirst quenched. The man gave off a low whistle.

"That's the fastest I've ever seen anyone drink a whole bottle, you must have been thirstier than I thought," he said. She simply smiled.

"You don't even know," she said. The man held out a calloused hand.

"I'm Sean," he said." Nice to meet you.

"Serana" she said. Sean nodded. He walked to a box on the counter and pressed a button, and music started drifting from somewhere. After about half a minute, someone started singing.

"_Take me down to the river bend. Take me down to the fighting end. Wash the poison from off my skin. Show me how to be whole again. Fly me up on a silver wing, past the black where the sirens sing. Warm me up to the nova's glow, then drop me down to the dream below. 'Cause I'm only a crack in this castle of glass. Hardly anything left for you to see. For you to see." _Serana had unconsciously started humming along.

"What song is this?" she inquired.

"Castle of Glass by Linkin Park," Sean replied. Serana's brow furrowed.

"Linkin Park?" she asked. Sean turned around and raised an eyebrow.

"You've never heard of Linkin Park?" he asked. Serana shook her head.

"Where are you from?" Sean asked.

"Skyrim," she said in a small voice.

"Oh," he said." Then we have a most exasperating complication." _More than she knows, _he thought, _how to tell her?_

"Well, I'm going to be truthful with you. You're nowhere near Skyrim anymore," Sean said finally. Serana's mouth dropped.

"How? All I did was close my eyes and try to get some sleep!" Serana yelled. Her voice echoed through Sean's house.

"Christ, calm down, it's not like I'm going to stick a sword through your face the first chance I get," Sean said, in a valiant attempt to calm her down. Serana closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She didn't let it out for several seconds.

"You can still breathe by the way," he said. Serana finally let the breath go. Her eyes were glazed over, and she looked like she would burst into tears any second. Years of being in the military had taught Sean to trust his gut. So he did.

Serana felt a warmth surround her, and she buried her face in Sean's chest. He held her steady as she cried quietly.

"It's alright, it's alright," he said in a calming tone. He unconsciously worked his fingers through Serana's blond mane, which strangely seemed to calm her down. He picked her up, walked over to his couch, and sat down. He laid Serana next to him. She took one last shuddering breath, and lifted her head up. She looked at Sean's eyes. They seemed like they were boring into her soul.

"So…. what happens now?" she choked out." Are you going to report me to your Jarl, or whoever rules this area?"

"No," Sean stated." I'm going to explain some stuff about this Earth so you're not as confused, we eat dinner, and then sleep. At least I'll be sleeping."

_Approximately 30 minutes later._

Serana sat holding a plate skeptically. She pushed the pork and potatoes around with a fork. She was a vampire and normally drank blood. This time, however, something told her to eat.

"I guess this is being human," she thought aloud, and instantly regretted it. Sean looked at her.

"So you are a vampire?" he asked. She nodded; she couldn't very well lie after saying what she had just said. Sean shrugged.

"Cool," he said. Serana looked at him.

"You mean you don't want to kill me?"

"You haven't given me a reason to."

"Would you if I drank your blood?"

"If I didn't give you permission to drink it, yes," Sean said. Serana was surprised by the outcome of the conversation. Most in Skyrim would have come and tried to kill her with anything they thought could be a weapon if they knew she was a vampire. She watched the TV screen. Sean had turned on a movie he called 'Fire Warms the Northern Lands'. For the next several hours, they finished their dinner and watched the movie. When it was finally over, Sean stood and stretched.

"You can take my bed for tonight," he said." I'll sleep on the couch." Serana nodded and stood to go to the bedroom, which was down the hall, when she heard a scratching at the door. She looked at the door.

"Better let them in," he said. He walked to the door and opened it. The two dogs walked in, except they weren't dogs. They were wolves. And they were big; the largest one's shoulder was at Sean's hip. One was white, with grey head and back fur. The other was jet black. It stared at her with its golden yellow eyes, and it bared its teeth and snarled. Sean gave the two wolves a stern look, and they both stopped. It was like they had telepathically communicated. Lakota, the grey and white wolf that was the larger of the two, padded over to Serana and sniffed her knee. He sat, and Serana patted his head.

"It's alright, I'll feed these two and you can go on back," Sean said. Serana grabbed her dagger off the table and headed back into Sean's room. She lay down on the bed, her dagger strapped to her hip, and was asleep in minutes. Sean fell asleep after turning off the lights and feeding Odin (the black wolf) and Lakota. _I guess I'll get her in to the farm routine tomorrow, _Sean thought before drifting off to Dreamland.


	2. Chapter 2: The First Appearance

_**This part is being told by Johnny's grandmother, if you're your curious. Enjoy and please review! Your support is what keeps me (and other writers) going. And don't worry, the title chapter will make sense eventually ;). And sorry about the short chapter.**_

_**-Worn**_

_**Disclaimer – Suggested soundtrack is owned by the Transformers soundtrack crew (kudos to them for an awesome soundtrack) and its composer, Steve Jablonsky. Skyrim is property of Bethesda.**_

_**0000000000000**_

Randy rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he sat up in bed. He looked at his alarm clock and groaned. It was 4:30 in the morning. He normally woke up at six. He had never really been able to go back to sleep once he had woken up, so he decided to stay awake. He slipped on a suit and carefully padded out the door, closing it softly. He walked down to the Oval Office, and called down to the kitchen for a hearty breakfast and extra strong coffee. Dan, his Secretary of State and childhood friend, walked in.

"Good morning, Mr. President," he said.

"How will I be able to get you to call me by name?" Randy sighed. Dan smiled.

"A pay raise would be nice," he suggested. Randy laughed.

"I'll think about it. In the meantime, what's the world looking like?" randy asked. Ever since taking the Oath, Randy had eased the North American Union into a stance of isolation, but stepping in to prevent major wars and general bad things from happening.

"The Central African Socialist Republic is yelling at everyone, still, and they're being ignored. Rebuilding efforts are still going on, and the German Empire managed to move back into their colonies in northern Scandinavia," Dan informed him. Randy smiled.

"That's incredible! That area was more radioactive than Chernobyl! Do you have any idea how they did it?" Randy exclaimed. Dan shook his head.

"I don't, but our ambassador is working on getting through the red tape and proverbial minefields."

Randy nodded.

"Anything else?"

"There was an attempted break-in to the Chinese cyber network sometime last night, but encryption stopped it dead. We aren't one hundred percent sure where it came from, but we pinned it down to Africa."

"I don't like it. I think the CASR has something to do with it. Get a warning sent to them, and assign another two army groups to security." Randy ordered.

"One more thing, read over this file," Dan said as he dropped a thin file folder on Randy's desk. Randy's face took on a worried expression.

"Is this confirmed?" he asked. Dan nodded.

"Alright, I'll take care of it," Randy said." And I think you have things to do."

"I'll be on the phone if you need me," Dan said as he waved over his shoulder. He closed the door on his way out. Randy frowned more, if that was possible with the look already on his face. He was sure that this would get out to the public eventually, but he didn't want them knowing what they didn't need to. _Time to call an old friend, _he thought as he turned to his computer, signed on to his email, and started typing.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Just so you know, history here is a little different. Enjoy, and review!**_

_**-Worn**_

_**Disclaimer – All OC is mine. Tribute belongs to Bungie Development Studios. I don't know if the Cross (read on to find out) exists, but if it does, I had no previous knowledge.**_

_**000000000000**_

Odin woke the moment he noticed a new scent in the air. 'Lakota, get up and wake Sean. Something's wrong,' he told the other wolf. Lakota yawned, and slowly rose, but did as told. Odin padded down the hall silently, and to Sean's room, where he had tracked the new scent. He pushed open the door. Odin barely made out two shapes, one he recognized as Serana lying with her face pressed in a pillow for some reason, the other outside by the window, a shadow on top of shadows. 'Odin, what do you see?' Sean asked. 'Not sure, something is outside the window looking in, wait, something's happe-'. Odin was cut off by the sound of glass shattering. Serana shot up in bed, her blonde hair flying around her head, her orange-red eyes wide in fear. She shot off the bed, and crouched behind it as she drew her dagger. The shadow had stepped through the window, and it materialized into a stocky bear of man in charcoal grey clothing. His face was covered except for his eyes, which shone yellow in the light from the hall. Odin heard choke out,' I'm sorry', as he raised a massive pistol, and pointed it at Serana. He squeezed the trigger, and a pair of thunderclaps echoed through the house.

The ping of metal on metal, and the crunch of wood rang out.

Serana opened her eyes. She blinked several times, and looked down the hall. There, in the low light, she saw Sean, holding a handgun that wasn't quite as big as the one the assassin held, but was still rather large. He had shot the bullet out of midair. Sean fired again, and hit the assassin's knee. He screamed in agony. Sean dropped his pistol, and ran down the hall. His body morphed. He grew steel blue fur, and shifted so he was running on all fours. His teeth became large, and sharper. His body became that of a wolf. He crashed into the assassin, and they flew out the window. Another gunshot rang out, and a second later a spray of blood dusted the window frame. Sean climbed back into the house, once again a human. His upper right arm was mangled, and it hung limp. But before Serana's eyes, it healed. First bone, then nerves, blood vessels, muscles, and finally flesh reconnected. A large scar appeared that wrapped around his bicep where the wound was once placed. Sean didn't even looked troubled that he had just been shot in the arm. Serana, on the other hand, was scared to death. She was now cowering in the corner, her eyes were, seemingly, even wider, in both fear and awe.

"I'm sorry about that, Serana," Sean said." It appears I owe you an explanation or two." He reached out to take her hand, but she shied away. He crouched next to her, and laid one hand on her arm, with other he clasped her hand.

"I only did that because of the assassin, Serana, I'm not going to hurt you," he said in a remarkably soothing voice. He pulled her up, and led her to the kitchen. He fixed a quick breakfast of eggs and ham. As they ate, Serana looked at a picture of ten young men and women, and ten wolves. She saw Sean crouching in the front row, behind Lakota, clasping hands with a woman who was behind Odin. The woman had short raven black hair. She was slim, but well-muscled. She had a small amount of freckles on her cheeks. She was a little shorter than Sean. Sean's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Let's take a walk," he suggested. Serana had to rush to follow as he swiftly moved out the door. For the first time, Serana got a look at the outside of Sean's house, and a trip in the fresh air. She took a deep breath, and inhaled the scent of snow in the air – and a slight whiff of manure. She coughed several times. Sean looked back at her.

"Well, this is a farm, what did you expect? The smell of perfume?" he said sarcastically. Serana ignored the smell, and turned to look at Sean's house itself. It was a relatively unimpressive, normal house. It was painted green, which would have made it hard to distinguish from the trees if they hadn't been bare (it was December, after all). There was a large wood plank above the door. It read," _Semper Paratus, Semper Vigilantissimi, Semper Fidelis"._

"You coming or not?" Sean called. She turned and ran to catch up with him. He was leaning on a fence line, looking out at the horizon.

"It was 1996," Sean began." It was a dark time in Earth's history. One mistake could have destroyed the planet. That almost happened on several occasions, and somehow, not a single shot was fired between the major players. It was only a weapons race. And the country that once occupied this area, the United States of America, decided to bring out a new trick. They started the Hybrid Human Animal Gene project. For seven of years, they failed to bring out a viability, then, in 2003, they succeeded. A gene from a wolf, bonded with that of a human. I was one of thirty two selected to be trained and eventually bonded with a wolf. After ten years, we were ready. All thirty two of us had stayed with the program, which was one reason we were picked; when we started something, we finished it. When we were finished bonding, only ten of us, including me, woke up. The rest either died, or went to some twilight stage in between life and death. We were each bonded with a wolf, and called Wolftalkers. I was bonded with Lakota. He has stayed with me through all these years, why, I don't know. He just has."

"Were you supposed to be able to become wolves, yourselves?" Serana asked. She moved a little closer. The fact that he telling her this obviously meant he trusted her, and didn't intend to do anything to her.

"No, that was actually a side effect. The expected side effects of the bonding were sharper teeth, being faster and stronger, and the ability to communicate through verbal means. What the scientists didn't expect was telepathic communications and us turning into wolves. I still remember the first I was so panicked that I fell out of the air and broke a leg. Took me only half an hour because we apparently heal much faster than the average human. The most interesting one, however, I think is immortality. It's 2066, and I was bonded in 2013. I haven't changed at all. No one knows why it turned out that way, it just has."

Serana now stood by his side. On his chest there was a glint of metal. She reached over and grabbed what turned out to be a small, silver, beaten and bloodstained cross on a silver chain. She blushed; her face and Sean's were inches apart now because she pulled the necklace, and inevitably Sean's head, closer. She let go, and Sean moved his head back to where it had been.

"What is that?" she asked him.

"It's a cross, the symbol of Christianity," he said. Sean had explained the religions of Earth to her already.

"Why do you have it?" Serana inquired.

"You just opened the can I didn't want to open, but since it's open, I might as well spill it," he said." That picture in my kitchen, with ten people and ten wolves. That was my squad. The ten of us had our first test two years after we were bonded, in 2015. That year, on April 28th, war between the People's Republic of China and the United States of America was declared. The USA was part of an alliance called NATO. Every single country that was part of NATO joined the war. China was joined by the Worker's Commonwealth of India, and the Soviet Union. The war raged for ten years, and the world was devastated. Half the world is still a wasteland. My squad fought at the forefront, we were everywhere. We lost one teammate, eventually."

"Who was it?"

"Veronica," Sean whispered as tears filled his eyes. It wasn't hard to see that Sean was still pained by her death after all this time. Serana put her arm around Sean, and gave him a quick hug. He returned it.

"It was the final battle of the war. It was fought on April 28th, 2025. Peace was signed that day. It was incredibly ironic to have the last battle on the same day as the war was over. The battle itself was fought between us ten and nearly five thousand communist soldiers. At around five pm, evacuation vehicles finally showed up. But at the same time, the last thousand enemy soldiers charged. Veronica was the last one who had to get on the helicopter. But she didn't. She said to get out of there. With that, she turned around and charged. The wolf she was bonded with, who was actually Odin, didn't go with her, he was too surprised. She fired her weapon until she ran out of ammo, and then went hand to hand. She killed all but one. She left him alive to tell the communist world of that defeat. After he ran away, she collapsed because of her injuries. When we landed, I found her again, bleeding to death. She ripped off her necklace, and gave it to me. She held my hand to her heart, and told me," Don't let anyone forget this war. The brave men and women that died for freedom, and their heroism." After that, she took a breath and said," Remember me Sean, remember that I loved you."" Sean finished." This necklace is the one she gave me. I haven't taken it off since then." Serana was amazed.

"Veronica was awarded the Cross of Valor, the highest award in the North American Union, the successor to the USA. In the last forty one years, she is still the only recipient," Sean said. They looked out to the horizon. An eagle soared through the half-risen sun. Somewhere in the distance, a wolf howled. Sean cupped his hands, and a perfect howl echoed around the area. It was seemingly too loud for a human. _But he's not completely human, _she thought at she held his hand in hers. She gave his hand a squeezed, and he returned it as he smiled at her. _He's a Wolftalker._


	4. Chapter 4

_**Alright guys, sorry that it's been a while. I've been away from home a lot, and when I have been home, I've been in no mood to write. Oh yeah, and writer's block. Hope this makes up at least a little bit.**_

_**-Dov**_

_**PS – "Tribute" was supposed to be the soundtrack for the part about Veronica in the last chapter. It's from the final cut scene of Halo 3 if it sounds familiar.**_

* * *

As Sean and Serana walked back to the house, Serana again eyed the sign above Sean's door.

"It's Latin," Sean replied to her unspoken question." It's an old language, no one really uses it anymore, but that was the Wolftalker motto. It means," Always Ready, Always Vigilant, Always Faithful." We usually shorten 'vigilantissimi' to 'vigilans'. It's just easier to say." Serana nodded. After they walked inside, the pair changed clothes (Veronica had left everything to Sean, and he had boxed everything up and put it in his basement (in separate rooms)). When he was done, Sean walked back into the kitchen and sat at his computer. He logged into his e-mail account (which he hardly ever used) and found only a single new one. It was from a familiar but nowadays surprising sender. It read,

_Sean,_

_ This has me scared. And I never get scared. The files are attached. I want you to get the squad back together and them at Camp David by the 23__rd__. I don't care at what time you get there, just be there on the 23__rd__. I hope you can see what has me scared._

_Randy_

Sean frowned as he looked at the files. If they had Randy scared, he was scared (Randy had once stared down a maniac terrorist holding a nuclear detonator when they were fighting together and didn't even blink). Sean closed the e-mail, and sent one to his surviving squad mates. With that, he stood and stretched. Serana walked out.

"So, what's the plan for the day?" She asked.

"You are going to get acquainted with life on the American farm," he replied. She shrugged. Sean grabbed two sets of keys off a rack, and a jacket.

"Follow me," Sean said. He walked to a barn and pulled open the door. Inside sat two vehicles.

"These are ATVs, or All-Terrain Vehicles," Sean told Serana." We're going to use them to get around today."

"But I don't know how to drive," Serana complained.

"It's easy. I learned when I was 9," Sean told her. He instructed her on the controls and then let her try riding herself. She was nervous as she sat on the massive contraption. She put the key Sean had given her in the ignition and turned it, starting the large vehicle. The engine gave a cough before settling into a smooth purr.

"Okay, now just try going forward," Sean instructed. She gingerly put her foot on the gas pedal, and the ATV started rolling forward. She pressed the pedal down harder, and soon the ATV was moving along at a good speed, about as fast a horse cantering. Sean pulled next to her.

"Alright, now just follow me," he said over the radio built into their helmets. He accelerated past her, and towards the fence line. He cut a sharp turn and started a burnout. Serana laughed, then was ducking as chunks of dirt and grass flew everywhere.

"Okay, fun time over, we have work to do," Sean said. He drove back to the barn, and parked the ATV. Serana parked next to it. He walked over to a section of the barn that held dozens of hay bales. _Oh great, _Serana thought.

* * *

Several hours later, covered in sweat, itchy with hay, and forearms aching, the two were finally done with the chores. Sean slumped against a wall, and sunk onto a bench.

"No matter how many times I do them, those chores are always hell," he said.

"Yeah, no kidding," Serana replied, sitting next to him. Sean had been speaking the truth when he said that the chores were hell, they always exhausted him.

"You wouldn't happen to have any blood around, would you?" Serana suddenly asked him. He held up his wrist to his vampire friend.

"I'll go hunting later and see what I can do, but for now, here you go," he said.

"Sean, no, I couldn't," Serana replied as she tried to force his arm down.

"Serana, go ahead, just control yourself, I know you can," he encouraged. She reluctantly held up his wrist, and bit into it. Sean didn't feel any pain. It was actually sort of… nice. Serana removed her mouth from Sean's wrist. It wasn't bleeding very much, and the skin soon mended itself.

"That was interesting," Sean said.

"So I've been told," Serana said." So what now?"

"I don't know," Sean said. A smile suddenly appeared on his face." How would you like to try fire a rifle?"

A wicked gleam appeared in Serana's eyes, and she smiled," I thought you'd never ask!"

Serana took a deep breath, and held it. She peered through the scope, and gently pulled the trigger. The M1903 Springfield rifle kicked against her shoulder as the .30-061 round left the barrel at 2,800 feet per second. It traveled the entire length of the range in about ¾ of a second, and struck the target dead center. Serana lowered the rifle with a grin on her face. Sean was staring at the target with binoculars, his mouth open in astonishment. He lowered the glasses, and stared at Serana.

"You sure this is your first time?" he asked Serana.

"Well, my father let me use his old crossbow a few times," she said as she reloaded the rifle.

"Well, that was incredible because it was your fourth shot, and you hit it dead center. It took me a month to be able to do that," Sean said. Serana just shook her head with a smile on her face. She raised the rifle, and emptied the clip she was using. She reached for the last of the three clips Sean had given her, but her hand stopped when she heard a car engine and the crunch of gravel under tires. She turned to see a large truck pulling up Sean's driveway. It pulled up next to Sean's vehicle, a dented and scratched up MRAP Cougar 4x4 Wolfhound. A tall woman wearing combat fatigues jumped out. She had her red hair in a ponytail, and a knife was strapped to one hip, with a pistol in a holster on the other. She was rather lanky, but not incredibly so. A moderately sized wolf jumped out of the truck behind her. It had the strangest blood red eyes, and pure white fur.

"Jenna, good to see you again," Sean said. He embraced the now named Jenna warmly.

"And who's this?" she asked, looking at Serana.

"Jenna, this is Serana, Serana, this is Jenna, one of my squad mates," Sean said.

"Good to meet you," she said." And this is Dakota." The wolf barked at the mention of her name. Odin and Lakota ran over from where they had been (Sean had let them out several hours earlier) staring down a bobcat in a tree. Serana yelped as Lakota ran straight through her legs and knocked her over.

"I guess Lakota's excited," she said." Hey, that wasn't funny!" Sean and Jenna were clutching their sides as they laughed.

"So have you two been shooting? I could hear gunshots a mile or two down the road," Jenna asked.

"Serana has, and she's actually better than me than when I first started, and this is the first time she's ever shot a rifle," Sean said. Jenna's eyebrows rose.

"Really? Show me," she instructed. After replacing the target, Serana calmly picked up the rifle, and loaded the weapon. She pulled the bolt back, and slammed it forward. She took carful aim. She took several deep breaths, slowing her heartbeat. She took a final breath, and held it. She listened for the small periods in between the beats of her heart. After several seconds, she pulled the trigger. The rifle kicked as the round left the barrel. The thunderous sound echoed in her ears, and she saw caught a glimpse of the bullet, just a black line streaking through the air, and it was gone. The bullet tore through the exact center of the paper. Jenna nodded slowly as she looked through the binoculars.

"Nice. Do it again," Jenna said. Serana didn't just repeat it once, she repeated the act for all three of the last bullets in the clip. As the second-to-last round left the barrel and again went through the original hole in the paper, Jenna dropped the binoculars. Serana fired the final round.

"Alright, how did you learn this?" Jenna said.

"The only thing I've shot is my father's crossbow," Serana shrugged.

"Then you're better than a natural," Jenna said.

"Oh, Serana, you can keep the rifle, I've got another of those!" Sean yelled at her from inside the house. He had said he needed to set something up.

"Thanks!" Serana said." I wonder what I could call this other than just 'my rifle'".

"I don't know, but you'll think of something," Jenna. The other woman clapped Serana's shoulder, and walked inside to help Sean, who was uttering strings of curses to something. Serana thought about names as she cleaned the rifle (Sean had taught her before she started shooting). _Dahmaan Fin Kril_, she thought. _A little taste of home._ "Dahmaan Fin Kril2" was one of her father's favorite sayings. Serana slung the rifle around her shoulders, and jogged back to Sean's house. Inside he was hooking up his computer to the TV.

"And that should be done, finally," he muttered." Alright, now we just need to wait for everyone else to get here."

* * *

**Volkihar Castle, Skyrim, 5E 205**

Serana3 paced the floor angrily. Just over four days ago only her daughter had gone missing. And none of her contacts knew a thing. From his perch on a balcony above, her husband, Bergron, watched her.

"Serana, you should stop, you're going to eventually wear a trench in the poor floor," Bergron said. She looked up at Bergron.

"Well, I don't care! I just want to know where our daughter is," she said as she crossed her arms over her chest. Bergron leapt down, landing like a cat3 and easily surviving the twenty foot drop without injury. He embraced his wife, and murmured words of comfort. What she had held back for days finally let itself out. Serana cried into her husband's side. When she had cried all she could she wiggled out from Bergron's bear hug and wiped her eyes.

"Our daughter is a strong young woman, she always has that dagger on her, and I trained her myself, she will be fine wherever she is. You just have to believe in her," Bergron counseled his distraught wife. Serana sighed.

"I know, and I do believe her. But what scares isn't how she got out or she's with, but where she might have gone," she said.

* * *

_**1 – Pronounced 30-aught-six for those who don't know. The .30-06 is a powerful rifle round that has been used in sniper rifles and many other weapons.**_

_**2 – Draconic for "Remember The Brave"**_

_**3 – This is the elder Serana. Whoever can guess what that means gets a virtual cookie.**_

_**4 – My new name (Dovahsebrom) is Draconic for "Dragon of the North"**_

_**Alright, hope you enjoyed that, see you next chapter!**_

_**-Dov**_


	5. Chapter 5: Briefing

_**This chapter wasn't very easy to right. Or that much fun. For some reason. So that's what took me a while. Alright, on a side note, I really, really, really want you guys and girls to review this. I want to know what you think I'm doing wrong, things I could add, and etc., etc., etc. Constructive criticism is still preferred, however. And enjoy reading, too!**_

_**-Dov**_

_**PS- I no longer like how chapter 1 turned out, so I'm eventually going to re-write it.**_

* * *

Serana sat in front of the campfire they had started outside. The warmth coursed through her, warming her cold body and calming her down. She had no idea why, but she was always calmed down by fire. The warm glow from the fire illuminated Sean and Jenna, who were also sitting by the fire. Odin, Lakota, and Dakota lay together off to the side, sleeping. Every once in a while Sean looked up at the sky. Neither of the women knew why. Eventually, Sean smiled.

"Lay back and enjoy the show," he said. Serana moved closer to him, and laid down next to the Wolftalker. Above hung an incredible aurora, and a sky filled with stars. Serana had seen many such nights back home, but they never ceased to amaze her. The single moon of Earth an orange-ish color that night. Suddenly, a white streak flashed through the sky.

"A meteor shower, and an aurora, and a comet that should be coming any minute, in a single night," Sean whispered." I love scenes like this. They're just amazing." Serana nodded, her head rubbing Sean's arm. He pulled Serana a bit closer as he put his arm around her. She put her head on Sean's arm. They stayed like that until nearly midnight, simply watching the meteor shower, and the comet that plowed through the atmosphere. Finally, they all piled inside and descended into the realm of dreams.

* * *

_Sean was in Washington, D.C., the North American capital. He was watching his friend Randy give a speech._

"…_.and may..." he said. His face became puzzled, and he turned around as a high pitched squeal echoed through the city streets. Sean spun around, looking for anything that could have made that sound. Wait, there it was. Two large black shapes against the night sky. Suddenly one exploded in a ball of fire, and careened down towards the skyscrapers that towered upwards around the crowd. Suddenly Serana was clutching his arm._

"_Sean? Um… what's happening?" she said, panicked. He didn't say a word as the ship, for it was now obvious that that was what the two black shapes were, slammed into one of the skyscrapers. A horrible screech sounded through the air, and then a crash as the ship slammed into the ground. Dust was thrown up, as well as chunks of concrete. Bits of steel rained down from the mangled skyscraper. The top half of the tower wobbled on the small section that remained as another explosion rocked the area. And it finally fell. People screamed and ran away from the area, but Sean stood stock still. A twenty-foot long beam crashed into Serana out of nowhere, and flung her back. He turned to run and look for her, but the tower crashed around him, and everything went black._

* * *

Sean quickly sat up. It had been a nightmare. He had nightmares before, but they usually were about the wars he had fought in. He looked outside and saw the sun creeping above the horizon. He shook his head as a headache appeared. This was going to be a long day.

* * *

The wind blew Serana's hair back out behind as her horse galloped. Her smile was ear to ear. Sean rode next to her, and Jenna a little ways behind. Dakota, Odin, and Lakota pounded away next to them. Serana's horse slowed, and her companions did as well.

"This is…." She said breathlessly.

"Awesome?" Jenna smiled.

"That about describes it," Serana replied, taking a drink of water from her canteen. A buzz sounded from Sean's pocket. He took his phone out, and saw that he had received text messages from the rest of his squad. They would all arrive at Sean's house within an hour.

"Well, I think we need to be heading back. The squad will be here within an hour," Sean announced. He and Jenna turned their horses around. Serana made to do the same, but two figures, also on horses, caught her eye.

"Hey Sean, who are they?" she asked, pointing at the two figures. The figures raised their hands and waved. Sean smiled, and waved in return.

"It's Winston and Akira, two of the others in the squad," he said. Winston and Akira soon came into view enough to tell them apart. Winston was a large bear of man who looked like he could rip a man in two, with a salt and pepper beard, and shoulder length hair dyed black with blue stripes. He wore jeans and a neon yellow shirt with "Reliving the Musicians of the Ages: World Tour" on it. Akira was a small Asian woman hailing from Kyoto, Japan. You couldn't tell by looking at her, but she was one of the toughest in the entire squad. Her black hair was in a ponytail which bounced as the horse trotted along. She wore the same shirt, but camouflage pants instead of jeans. Winston shook Sean's hand and gave Jenna a hug in greeting.

"Man, it's been too long," he said as Akira hugged Sean. She had to stand in the saddle to do so.

"Indeed it has my friend, indeed," Sean agreed. As she sat down, there was a glint on Akira's ring finger.

"What is that you're wearing, Akira?" Jenna asked. She held her hand up. It was a gold ring with an emerald encrusted in it.

"A wedding ring," she said. Sean's eyes lit up.

"Really? Then congratulations," he said." Who was the unlucky soul?"

"Me," Winston laughed." And I was NOT unlucky!" Sean smirked and clapped his friends shoulder.

"Just a little joke," he said. And then Sean took off back to his house, leaving everyone scrambling to catch up. Serana kicked the horse's flanks with her heels, and it sped into a gallop. She crouched in the saddle, reveling in the moment. She pulled alongside Sean. Sean looked over and smiled at her, and sped forward.

"Oh no you don't," Serana growled. She kicked her horse again, and he sped faster. Just as they reached home, Serana pulled ahead of Sean. She looked back at him, and gave a wide-toothed grin.

"I guess you won," Sean said, dismounting. Serana jumped off her horse, and led him into the field. She removed the saddle, blankets, and bit, allowing him to roam free. She stored the gear in the barn, and walked out, nodding to Winston as she passed him. Alastair, from Scotland, a moderately sized individual, who had tattoos all over him, most prominently a Celtic knot around his neck, and Astrid, from Sweden, who stood taller than even Sean, arrived about half an hour later. The rest of the squad filtered in slowly. Eventually they were all gathered in Sean's living room. He rose and moved next to the TV.

"Alright, first off, welcome to my humble abode," he said, and he smiled." It's great to see all again." Everyone cheered lightly.

"First, I want you to meet my new friend Serana, whom I met a few days ago," he said, and the aforementioned woman gave a wave. Sean's voice took a more serious tone." Everything you will see or hear about today is the most classified information on the planet. Only three people currently know what it means. Those three are myself, the Secretary of State, and the President. We will meet the last two on December 23rd at Camp David, but for now, here is what you need to know. Serana, go to the presentation marked "Team Briefing, Dec. 21st"." Serana complied, and opened said presentation as Sean turned on the TV. The first slide was a graph of reports from the Voyager 1 space probe. Sean used a pen as a makeshift pointer.

"This chart is from Voyager 1. At its last report, Voyager was heading outside of human controlled space, nearly two light years away. Two days ago, at 22:33 hours Eastern Standard Time, all contact with Voyager 1 was lost," Sean said." It did not go out of radio contact. The current telescopes NASA has placed on Eris can reach out to at least ten times that distance. Next slide, please." Serana tapped the track pad, and the slide changed.

"This is from a SETI telescope on Mt. McKinley," he said. Sean had circled a certain part of the readout." Before contact was lost, the following message was broadcast in our language: The probe is one of the parasites. The High Convent orders its destruction. That signal came in at the same time as contact with Voyager was lost." Everyone remained silent. Eventually Astrid spoke up," Well, it could be a hoax, couldn't it?" Sean smiled.

"That is one thing I was expecting to hear. Voyager managed to transmit the following data, however. Next slide," he said. The next slide showed a series of graphs. To the untrained eye, it looked like a bunch of random lines and dots. To the Wolftalkers, however, it looked like the one thing humanity didn't need at the moment. One graph showed a concentration of plasma ions, directly ahead of the probe. Another, showed an incredible amount of energy, an amount only possible by fusion. Essentially, not anything very good. There were also materials not known to mankind present.

"There was also this picture," Sean said. He nodded at Serana, who clicked the track pad to the last slide. The picture wasn't of good quality, but it was moderately clear. It showed a slightly blurry white and black shape, with a bright yellow dot on one of the "wings". The shape was angles, straight lines, and spheres.

"Straight lines do not occur in nature, we know this. Because of this, the shape here is not natural," Sean announced." I and Randy, the President, each speculate that this is an extra-terrestrial craft. This briefing is over. We leave for Washington in an hour. Get yourselves ready." Sean disappeared down the hallway as everyone filed out to their vehicles to check gas levels, coolant, and in general ready themselves for the ten-hour drive. Serana followed Sean down the hallway; she knew one of these closets held duffel bags. She caught a flying duffel that Sean had thrown at her.

"Pack some clothes in to that, and grab your rifle. Ammo's downstairs," Sean said. He strode in to his bedroom. He packed some clothes, including his old dress uniform, the chest adorned with dozens of medals and campaign ribbons. He slipped into his combat fatigues. He put a Colt M1911 in a side holster, and a strapped a large knife to his thigh. He reached into his closet, and pulled out his old XM30 assault rifle. He wasn't taking any chances with what he and Randy had figured out. He pulled out several boxes of ammo and spare magazines and set them in his bag. He walked outside, duffel slung over one shoulder, rifle over the other. Serana was sitting on the steps up in to the back of Sean's MRAP, methodically counting out .30-06 rounds to put in magazines. She looked up as he approached, and her eyes widened as she looked at the XM30.

"Overkill?" she suggested.

"You saw the charts and pictures. You heard the explanations. If a Voyager probe was destroyed by an alien race, something's coming. I'm taking no chances," he told her. She shrugged and clambered back into the MRAP, and started setting the leftover ammo boxes in a side compartment. She stopped as she closed the compartment.

"Do you think they're on their way here?" she asked. Sean shrugged.

"If they come, we may not be ready, but we'll drag them to Hell with us before we die," he said. She chuckled, and removed a whetstone from her pocket. She took out her Elven dagger, and ran the blade over the stone methodically.

"You sound like my dad," she smiled. She sighed, and Sean sat next to the young woman.

"Thinking of home?" he asked. She nodded. He looked over at John, another of the Wolftalkers, who was currently tinkering on his Ford F-150, with half his body underneath the car. He felt an arm snake around his back. He put an arm around Serana's shoulders and hugged her.

"If they come here, I'm fighting too, you know," She said.

"Actually, there is something I want to ask you," Sean said as the question popped into his head.

"What's that?" Serana asked.

"How would you like to join the Wolftalkers?" he said, looking her in the eyes. She blinked once." I'm serious. You have all the makings of one. You're strong, smart, adapt well to anything, one of the best shots I've ever seen. But most of all you're stubborn." Serana laughed.

"I'll have to think about it," she said." It's a big commitment, pledging your life to protect a country you don't even know."

"I know how you feel, but you let me know when you've made a choice," Sean said." Because I know you'll make the cut."

* * *

_**As for Voyager going on for nearly 100 years instead of about 40 or 50, I know. In this timeline, Voyager 1 had a solar sail for the part of its journey from Earth to about the Keiper belt, then used the fuel stored aboard, which there was more of as well. So, there's your answer if you were confused. **_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Well, well, well. Here we are again. I feel bad for being so lazy in my updates, I hope you shall forgive me. Enjoy, and please review! I would really like some feedback!**_

_**-Dov**_

_**Historic Notes – England in this timeline was never dissolved. And for all intents and purposes, the Kingdom of England has existed since William the Conqueror was crowned after the Battle of Hastings (if you don't understand, look them up, pretty epic story).**_

_**Character Notes – I changed Dan's position from Secretary of State to Chief of Staff. Seemed like it would make a bit more sense.**_

_**Military Notes - The Hellbringers are fictional to my knowledge. My version is an elite battalion of armored infantry who go through a training regime similar to **_

_**Disclaimer – The Ares Defense Shrike Advanced Weapons System belongs entirely to Ares Defense Systems, Inc. I own nothing but the plot and my characters.**_

Sean glanced behind him at the two women sleeping in the back of his MRAP Cougar Wolfhound. Serana and Akira had fallen asleep several hours ago. Sean and Winston each had no idea how they managed to do it. Neither of the men could sleep in a car while it was moving, much less a surplus military transport. The convoy had been traveling for a good five hours, and they still had five hours of travel time.

"What do you think the anniversary will be like?" Winston asked. He was staring out the window, watching the barely lit trees go by.

"I'm not sure, but knowing Randy, it'll be something special," Sean replied.

"Knowing him, it will involve lots of explosions," Winston smiled.

"He always a demolitionist at heart," he replied with a chuckle.

_**Three 1/2 Hours Later**_

"Alright, there you go. Five rooms for tonight," the clerk said. Sean nodded and handed over the money needed for the rooms. The clerk took it and set it in the register, then busied himself with some paperwork as Sean walked back out into the cool night air. He nodded at Serana, who was leaning on his MRAP, her legs crossed. Her bag was lying at her feet, with her rifle slung over her shoulder.

"You might want to put the rifle in the bag so the clerk doesn't panic," Sean said as he approached." Not everyone carries guns around constantly here." Serana shrugged as she opened the bag, and set the aging weapon in the bag. Sean rubbed his eyes before opening the door. He never liked driving for eight hours. He had an even stronger dislike of driving in the middle of the night. And besides, it was still the 22nd of December, so they had tomorrow to get to Camp David. They could afford the rest. Sean grabbed his duffel, and walked inside the hotel, following Serana and everyone else. They had previously decided to double up rooms to save what money they could (none of the Wolftalkers were rich). Since he was the only one that she really trusted (well, except for Alastair), she had almost immediately said that she would be sleeping in the room with Sean. Sean finally reached the room, and unlocked it with the key card. As soon as she set her bag down, Serana spread her arms and fell face first on the bed. Sean couldn't help but laugh. She turned over and raised herself up on her elbows, smiling. Sean fell on the bed next to her.

"How about you get some sleep, Captain Drowsy?" Serana said." I don't exactly want to be in a crash."

"Hey, President Naptime, how about you drive tomorrow?" Sean retorted. Serana pushed him playfully.

"Come on, you need the sleep. Don't say you don't," She said. Sean chuckled, and laced his fingers together behind his head. He set his head on the pillow, closed his eyes, and breathed deeply.

Serana watched the man as he fell asleep. She curled up in a ball next to him, and his arm reflexively curled around her shoulders. Serana closed her eyes, but then remembered that she had left the lights on. She cursed under her breath, and slipped out of the bed. She padded over to the wall, and flipped the light switch, throwing the room into darkness. Moonlight was cast through the thin curtain as Serana walked back towards the bed. She laid back down in her original position, Sean's arm around her shoulders, her body curled up around next to his. She breathed softly, and slowly drifted in to the realm of Vaermina.

As Sean slowly returned to reality, he felt a comforting warmth on his left side. He opened one eye, and looked at Serana, who was curled up next to him. A smile spread across his face at the sight. A vampire sleeping next to a wolf. The mouths of Underworld fans everywhere would be gaping if they knew. Specifically Alastair's. Serana's eyes fluttered open, and she looked up at Sean.

"Do we have to get up?" she asked sleepily. Sean nodded, a frown on his face. Serana flopped over and pushed her face into a pillow.

"I don't want to get up," she groaned. Sean lay back next to her, and ruffled her hair.

"Sleep in the car," he said. She pulled her head up.

"I thought I was driving," she said, a goofy smirk on her face. He chuckled, and pulled her into a hug.

"Not yet, not yet," he chuckled.

Serana downed the last of her coffee as she finished packing away the small amount of stuff she had removed from her bag. She slung the duffel over one shoulder as she munched on a piece of bacon. She strode through the halls outside to Sean's truck, and tossed her duffel in the back. Sean was standing half in his truck on the driver's side, talking to Alastair. Serana walked around the truck and slid into the shotgun seat. Sean slid into the driver's seat, his conversation finished. Winston and Akira sat in the back. Sean looked back at the pair, and found they were both soundly asleep already. He turned to Serana and gave her a smile.

"I cannot believe it," he said." Winston fell asleep in a car. I think this is a new record." Serana stifled a laugh so they didn't wake the couple. Sean took a picture of the pair, and saved it for later. He started the car, and moved to the head of the Wolftalker convoy.

Sean yawned as he crossed onto Interstate 50 from Highway 27. They had gotten up at 5:30 in the morning, as they still had an hour and a half to drive. They were now nearly to the White House, where Randy had said to meet him when Sean gave him a call and updated him on their progress. The sun had "risen" a few minutes ago, but there was hardly any sunlight at the moment. Serana had flipped on the radio an hour ago, wanting to break the silence. For the moment, the song "Run Boy Run" was playing. Serana was looking out the window, her head supported by her hand. The suns golden rays peeked over the horizon just as the last part of the song, which was purely instrumental, kicked on _**(look up "Run Boy Run" by Woodkid, skip 2 minutes and 25 seconds in, and enjoy)**_. Arrayed in a perfect line were the Iwo Jima Memorial, the Washington Monument, and Capitol Hill. Sean glanced over at Serana, whose hair was billowing out behind her from the wind coming through the open window. He wished that type of scene could happen more often. The music made it that much better. Unfortunately, the scene ended when a cloud moved over the sun, and Serana rolled the window up, apparently cold. Sean's gaze returned to the highway ahead, as traffic was picking up.

The White House gate guard stood at attention outside the booth. He looked to the right when he heard a different sound from the normal growls of cars and trucks from the street. This was more of a roar, and he soon spotted its source. It was a massive tan, dented, scratched truck, obviously military surplus, but the guard couldn't determine the type. Behind it followed nine other vehicles, a mix of cars, motorbikes, and larger trucks. The surplus truck pulled up in front of the gate next to the booth.

"I'm sorry but the White House is closed to tourists today," the guard said as the window rolled down. The driver's head popped out, revealing a man with bright green eyes, and salt-and-pepper hair. He spoke in a loud, clear voice," And how about those with appointments?" The guard looked at him skeptically, and cocked his head.

"I wasn't told of any appointments," he said sharply. Static buzzed in his ear, and a Scottish-accented voice said," Let 'em in, they're cleared." He pressed the microphone key down.

"Yes, sir," he replied. The guard looked up at the man, and nodded at him.

"Thank you," he called down, and closed the window. The truck and several other cars followed it in, and lined up on the circular drive.

Sean stepped down from his truck, and looked around as everyone else followed suit. He was wearing his dress uniform, which was the only formal clothing he owned. The left side of his chest was awash with ribbons and campaign medals. The single silver star of a Brigadier General hung on his collar. He had never liked the ornamentation. Ignoring the medals, he strode up to the White House front door, Serana at his side. She was wearing a dress that Astrid had let her borrow. They pushed the doors open, and the Wolftalkers strode inside. Just inside stood two men. Randy was lanky, with frost white hair and a stony face. He wore his old dress uniform as well. The insignia of a British Major-General hung on his left sleeve, while the wings of the SAS were on the right. He didn't wear his beret, however. He was a former member of the British Special Air Service, whose training was on par with the Wolftalkers. Randy insisted that it was harder, however. Next to him stood Dan, the Chief of State, who was also a former veteran. He had become a Captain in the Marines, going through the Hellbringer boot camp. All of the Wolftalkers, Randy, and Dan had fought together. Randy stepped forward, and gripped Sean's hand warmly.

"Good to see you again, Sean," he said with a smile.

"You, too," Sean replied. Randy turned to face Serana.

"And who's this?" he asked.

Randy looked over the woman standing next to Sean. She wore a crimson dress, which was simple yet elegant. Her skin was pale, which was a huge contrast to her fiery red-orange eyes. She was fairly well built, suggesting hours of time spent working. _I wonder how Dan could do against her,_ he thought. She was tall for a woman, taller than the average man, actually. She had long blonde hair, reaching down just past her shoulders. It was a little frizzy, making it seem like a lion's mane.

"Randy, this is Serana. Serana, this is Randy," Sean said. Serana stuck out a hand, which he shook. The strength in her grip surprised him.

"It's good to meet you Serana," he said.

"Good to meet you, too," she replied.

"Now if you'll follow me to the Situation Room, we can get this briefing done," he said. He never liked briefings. Sean nodded, and followed Randy down the hall. They descended into the basement in an elevator. The hallway they stepped into was floored with polished white tiles. The walls were painted a starch white. The light reflected from the tiles momentarily blinded Randy. The click-clack of dress shoes and the thunk of boots echoed in the noiseless hallway. Two red doors sat at the end, flanked by two men wearing suits and dark sunglasses. What looked like the strap of a backpack was, in reality, the sling on an Ares Defense Shrike Advanced Weapons System. The fifty-four year old weapon was still in use because it gave the same firepower as an M249 SAW light machine gun, but the Shrike only weighed 7.5 pounds. One of the Secret Service agents nodded at Randy in recognition. The doors opened with a hiss, and Randy took a deep breath. He stepped into the room.


End file.
